Method of making hollow car-axles.



C. MQ WALES.

METHOD OP MAKING HOLLOW OAR AXLES.v

APPLICATION FILED MAY 16.1910.

Patented Feb. 7, 1911.

INVENTOR AT'TRNEY UNiTED js'TATEsrnTENT oFFIoE.

asfissia.-i

' f specification ef Letters Patent.

O F'NEW YORK, N; Y.

originali ppiipaaii area o'e'tqeif 23,1908, sei-iai aq. 459,819. inviaci and this appiicaaanmea May 16,

i l* 191o. `stamina.sen/3a.

l traag/' comem: 0,

'n that I, CHARLES M. WAins,

ofthe United States of America, and sideirt'fofthecity, county, and State ot' NeirlflYoi'jh,have iiirented certain new and I,use 't'iilf linproi-'enients iii Methods Vof followingis a specification. e My 'intention rela-tesv toa novel method for l,nialfinfg hollow axles for Vrailroad cars a1id:;tl""l1llie.

liiection' n-"ith my inetliod, described and claim lheoli'jfect ojffi'ny inventioiiis to provide aii "economical and .e'fectn-'e-fmethod -for lQOS, troinlgtjifl'ueli this'application is divided.

iiiallltziig' holloii-*Zfca'r axles, by means of which,v bothonQaccountof the distribution of the metal;l and the1 treatment it undergoes, superior; strength, uniformity and leconomy oi material aie'attalned ingy ajpartf1 offthis speciiication, Figure).` i'epr ents in section a billet 'of 'which the- 2 a section ltliioiigli dies n which the zbillet is placed .ejeco'i'idx set- 'of dies in whichv a partially Specification formedmxle: Aplaced preparatory to" the rcspo'ndingfto vxafter the' third step has v,b c'en'performed;and Fig. 7 the sa'me sid,e rienof the finished axle forcing.

The lreference saine .sense throughout lthe draivings'and the Numeral l rcpresentsfthe billet .out of .proved iiietliod: fils.f preferably cylindrical in.

. through it.

Making"l'lollowf Car-i-vles,A of. which the ,vent its -buckling and permit its e'xpan characters are used in the.

feel?. 'find-...ef a ...length .Somewht egat its, "ccntralfjportion v This hole 1s preferably produced by drilling, becaiise'in this Way small imperfections in the metal which are generally to be. found at the center of the billet are removed and large imperfections which would imp air thcstrength of the axle may be more readily discovered. My invention is not, however, limited to-,any 'particular method of forming the hole inthe billet,

and any other method such as piercing the billet while hot, by. forcing' a` plunger through it, may be employed. The preferred first step Figs. 2 and 3 in my improved method consists, after the bil--A let has been properly heated, in transversely expanding the hollow billetprogressively from, its ends to points near the inner ex- Jressure exerted upon the interior of'the illet. Thish I prefer to accomplish by simultaneously Yforeino` into each end of the hollow billet the inandrcls having tapered ends adapted to cnteivthe hole 2 and straight.

.cylindrical portions back of said ends, said tapered ends being ot a length about equal to half the distance between the'inner extremities of the wheel seats, -and said straight portions reaching in to a point near the inner extremities of the wheel' seats. For this operation'the billet may be heldin any suitable manner which, will reling as above described. lI prefer, place the billet inthe matrix make when closed a chamber in the form of a surface 'of revolution having its least ,y ratentetinebfv, 191i.

`tremitics ofthe'wheel seats, by means of however, to Y dies 4 which diameter at-thc' central Aportion 5 substantiallyeqiial to tli'e original diameter ofthe billet l, and increasing gradually 'from the central portionto 'the enlarged portions 6 fforthe wheel seats'of the axle, and then decreasing outside of .said `enlar ements in -`short tapered portions to cylin rical portions 7, which y reject beyond theends of the billet and crm guides for the shouldered heads '8 of the `mandrels 3 the... purpose of which will be more .fully hereinafter explained. I l.

The second step Fig. 4 consistsin still' further expanding the billet or partially jformed' axle' forging at the wheel 'seats by.' bringingi pressure ytqbear lon its ends, While at the'sainc'I tim'e'vma'pint-a'ning the -pressure 4 upori itstinterior.'` yThisstep I prefer toac-lf fceaialisl-liy' means. f...,t1 1e .matrix dise and# lli) arliors above described, in conjunction with shoulders Sjeither'seoured to rsaidabors or operating independently. A

The third step Figs. and 6 consists in placing th partially formed axle in hold-- ingdies which are of such length as to permit sonnieh of the ends of the axle as is required for the journals to project beyond the'ends ofthe dies, and then partially forin- 10 ing the collars at the ends and reducing the' external dianieter between the collars and the Wheel seats by causing external pressure to bear upon the cylindrical exterior of said projecting ends, during which I prefer to limit the closing 'of the openings in ,the ends byin'serting therein taper mandrels.

The fourth and last step Figs, C and T consists in completing the 'formation oit the collars'at the ends of the axle and thickening the walls of the journals where they join the wheel seats, by bringingl pressure to bea r i simultaneously against the ends of the journalsfand the opening in the'ends, while the exterior' of the journals confined and prevented` from expanding.

lucarrying out-the last two steps or operations, I provide holding dies 10 a-nd l1 ,-which are inade to tit that part ot the axle -beta-'een' the outer extreniities of the wheel 30 scatsso that the ends of which the journals are to be formed project beyond the ends ol said dies. At theends of the dies 10 and 11, I arrange segmental transversely movable dies 12 and .1I-. 'These consist preferablyT ot 3.5 three or more segments adapted to be moved radiallyp Each segment 1s provided with a cylindrical portion 14E of proper curvature to form the journal 'proper and a cylindrical portionof larger radius to permit the 40 'forming of the collar. I 'also provide a plunger 1G having a tapered mandrel 1T- and a shoulder 18. The shoulderlS is adapted to tit the cylindrical portion 15 ot' the se mental dies when the latter are closed. The ends of the mandi-els- Il? are ot less diameter than the openings 1t) lett by the mandi-els 3, while that part of the mandrel nearest; the shoulder 18 is preferably of somewhat larger diameter than said opening, theshape of 5U the mandrel being such as to give the ro- `quired varying thickness to the walls ot the journal between its junction with the wheel "seat/and its end. -After the )artially formed axlezlonbillet has been plaeeil \dies,the tapered .niaudrels 1T are inserted to. a point Where the diameter of themandrel 'fville'just about equal the diameter ofthe open'ing, `l$). in the end oli-the axle, the seg. vIller-ital -'dies l2 ind'll are .then caused to oo elosejrdowlr upon the ends of the axle to shape :the -ends tothe .requisito diameter for 5'thajourrialsaiidto" partially forni the eollars at; tl'ie extreme ends of the axle. The mandi-els 1"? and the. shoulders 18 are then `foree'd inwardly. while the dies 12 and 13 in the holding' .are held rigidly, thus bringing pressure t-o Ametal included in thefspaee between the' mandi-els 17 and'the journal forming portions 14, ot the segmental dies to completely 7s till the space inclndedbetwe'en the segmental dies,A .themandrel and th shoulder, and

at the same time causing a thickening of' the walls of the journal where it joinsthe l wheel seat. so

Having thus described my invention what l claim is: f j

1. The herein described method of forining journals on the ends of hollow axles I which consists' in 4holding the partially. as fori-ned axle between the journals lin holding dies, inserting' tapervmandrelsin tlie'o'penings of the ends of said axle to liniit thereduction of the' openings of,said ends,` causing journal forming dies to close upon the 9ov jnfojeoting ends of said'axle and then freing sai'd taper mandrelsA and shoulders in connection therewith, vin\\' ardly while said journal forming dies are'he'ld rigidly against theoxterior of 'said journals, to increase the thieln'ufss ort material at the -junction of the wheel seats and journals. i

rlhe herein deseribedmcthod of formin gr hollo axles which consists in 'placing a. hollow billet ina matrix die having Wheel loo seat enlargements joined :by sections 'tapering from said wheel seat enlargements to a smaller diameter at the center, expanding said billel'- to a larger diameter progressively.

,from its ends to points near the inner exlors tremities of the wheel seats, bymeans ot' pressure exerted upon the interior of the billet, and. still further expanding said billet at the, wheel seats by pressure exerted against they ends of the billet'.

The herein described 'method of forining hello7 axles which consists in placing a hollow billet-in a matrix die having Wheel seat forming enlargements' joined vby sections tapering from said Wheel seat enlarge- 'I lments 'to a smaller diameter atthe center,

4and journal extensions beyondsaid wheel seat enlargements o f less diameter than said wheel seat -fornain'g enlargements and greater diameter than said center; oxpanding said billet to substantially thediameter ot' said journal 'extensions progressively from its ends to points'near theiinn-er ends of the wheel seats, by-ineans of pressure exerted upon the interior of the billet, and still further expanding said billet vat .the wheel seats bypressure exerted against the ends 4of the billet. v

4. The method of making hollow axlesl which 4consists in forming va vstraight cy- '130 e iiiidiic ing said'bill'e't4V to a larger diameterprogres' -'s1 ve'ly' from its -ends to points 'near-the .inner ext'remitiesof the wheel seats by means 5 l billet.

of pressnrefeiierted upon Vinterior of f the 5. The method-'of making? hollow Jiixlesf dinally througlithefcenter of a billet, plac# ing the hollow billet in a matrix d ie having ..wheel` seat enlargementsw joined by sections tapering from said wheel seat enlargemf' ts to a 'smaller diameter atthe center, and ex panding said billet insaid die'to a larger diameter -from -its ends tov points near the inner extremities of the"-lwl 1eelA seats by means of presslire eXertedupon the interior of the-billet progressively fromfitsendsffto" points near' theinner-extremities "of-the wheel seats. V i.

'6;' The herein .described .method sof; pro.` (lacing` hollow car-axles 'which 'conslst'sV 1n A placing a straight.' hollow cylindrical billet in dies, forcing .a mandrel -having-'a-taper end and a straight portion back of sa id end into Vthe opening in said billet to expand said billet into ,conformation withsaidf dies,- withdrawing said --mandrels and placing said billet in holding dies'which permit-the' iends thereof toprogect 'beyondthe ends o f said holding dies, causing-journal forming' diesto close down uponv said projecting -ends, and then forclng a taper mandrel into.

billet.

and ashoulderlagalpnst the endsof said ,7. The herein described offerining hollow axles which consists -1n 4:forming 'a straight.cylindrical .hole through a straight cylindrical billet, placing said billet indies havinga diameterat the .center substantially equal tov theA diameter of'said a lionV ai'rugha einen und 'expandbillet and having wheel lseat forming por# xtions-of enlarged-diameter and end forming* portions' of lessdia'meter than said Whee y Seat forming portionsand greater than the" wheel 'seats-which consists in confining the 'exteriorof 'axles at the joiirnals between openings inthe journals.

ing-hollow axles whichconsists in'.placing a straight cylindrical. billet having a' straighhcylindrieal,'hole therethrough in dies; ehpa'nding said billet to till said dies I an A .fdies and forcing into 'andag'ainstthe endsjf Aof 'said -jonnals 'shouldered taper mandrelshalingiendsofless diameter thanthe 16.0; 9. The herein described'niethod of formby frcingtapered mandrels-into the' ends thereof'and causing a thickening of the Awalls of said axle where the. journals-join the wheel seats b' confining the exterior 'of said-journals an forcing shouldered taper niandrels having ends ofless diameterthan lagainst the ends of said axle, whereby the -operringjin the said axle at the junction of the'fj'ornal and the wheel .seat is rednced the4 openings [in the 'journals into; and 'i I andthe thickness of the wall at this point is increased. v A

I In testimony whereof,l havesxgned my name to this .specification 1n the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

- CHARLES M.l WALES. Witnesses: Y x FLORENCE J. WALsi-I,` f

ERNEST MILLER. 

